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Recycled Newspapers Turned into Furniture

WooJai Lee is a Korean/New Zealander designer based in Eindhoven, The Netherlands with a new project called PaperBricks. It’s no surprise that paper is one of the most produced and most thrown out materials in the world. While paper can be recycled, it can’t be done so forever, as the paper fibers break down and become smaller and smaller each time. Lee’s project explores ways to recycle paper in more sustainable ways and that’s where PaperBricks comes in.

Recycled newspapers become pulp, which is then mixed with glue and formed into “bricks,” which happen to be just as sturdy as real bricks. When dry, the bricks take on a marbled look giving them a soft textile texture.

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Lee didn’t stop there… Using the same method, Lee created the PaperBricks Pallet series of furniture showing that this process can result in something functional. Currently, the series consisted of a bench and two coffee tables.

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Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.